Winding apparatus



J. K. P. MACKIE WINDING APPARATUS Oct. 24, 1967 Filed July 6, 1965 United States Patent C) 3,348,783 WINDING APPARATUS John K. P. Mackie, Belfast, Northern Ireland', assignor to James Mackie & Sons Limited, Belfast, Northern Ireland, a British company Filed .Iuly 6, 1965, Ser. No. 469,725 Claims priority, application Great Britain, July 10, 1964, 28,669/ 64 7 Claims. (M2-54.4)

This invention relates to apparatus for winding balls of textile sliver such as is commonly used in conjunction with drawing frames or similar machines. The ball is normally wound by means of a driving roller which causes the ball to turn on a rotary spindle to which the sliver is fed by means of a nozzle having a traversing mechanism which builds up the sliver in successive layers to give a so-called cross-wound ball. The traversing movement also applies false twist to the sliver as a result of rotary motion of the nozzle produced by its traversing movement. In practice this results from engagement of a pinion with a rack as the nozzle traverses. The rack is usually stationary, but in some cases it may be desirable to move the rack also, in which case part of the false twist is derived from this movement. At the completion of a ball both the winding apparatus and the drawing frame or other machine delivering the sliver to be wound are stopped and it is then necessary to break the sliver before dong the ball. Particularly when the doing is automatic this can give rise to difficulties as the twisted sliver can have considerable strength.

According to the present invention the apparatus is provided with means for stopping the traversing mechanism shortly before the driving roller at the completion of a ball. As a result of this, the last part turn or turns l of sliver applied to the ball have little or no false twist. This is of considerable advantage because the tensile strength of the sliver is correspondingly reduced thus making it much easier to break and facilitating the doing operation as a whole.

Preferably the means for stopping the traversing mechanism operates at a pre-determined position in relation to the traversing stroke. This position may conveniently be in the middle of the ball so that the last part turn or turns are wound untravcrsed at this point. This has the further advantage of facilitating the tucking in of the loose end of the sliver to prevent unwinding.

To enable the traversing mechanism to be stopped independently of the driving roller the drive to the traversing mechanism may conveniently include a clutch together with a brake which stops the mechanism as soon as the clutch has opened. Since this is independent of the remainder of the apparatus the driving roller may continue to run for a short period of time.

The stopping of the traversing mechanism is preferably electrically controlled by means of a first electric switch which is operated at a pre-determined point in each traversing cycle and which is connected with a second electric switch operated when the ball of sliver is fully wound, i.e. by a yardage counter or other device for detecting the size of ball. The two switches in conjunction then serve to stop the traversing mechanism and to remove the drive from the driving roller which continues to run for a short period owing to the intertia of the moving parts. During this run-down period the sliver will continue to be delivered and to be wound on to the ball by the driving roller, but owing to the stopping of the traversing mechanism will be largely free of false twist as already described.

Apparatus in accordance with the invention will now be described in more detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

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FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view; and

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of part of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a schematic diagram of an electrical circuit for the present invention.

The apparatus shown in the drawing is intended to receive sliver from a 4drawing frame of which only the delivery rollers are illustrated at 11. The machine is double-sided in that it receives two separate slivers from the drawing frame, one only of which is shown at 12, and winds them simultaneously to form two separate balls. The two sides of the machine are identical and for purposes of simplicity only one side is illustrated, although certain parts of the other side are also shown for purposes of explanation.

The sliver after leaving the delivery rollers 11 passes between a pair of adjustable rollers 13 and then around a pulley 14 mounted on an arm 15 which is pivoted at 16 to traversing mechanism generally indicated as 17 and is also supported 'by a second arm 18 pivoted to the frame of the machine. The purpose of the pulley 14 is to compensate for traversing movement of the mechanism 17 by taking up any slack in the sliver 12 during the traversing motion.

A second sliver, not shown in the drawing, passes to the other side of the machine by way of a pulley 14 corresponding to the pulley 14 and which is also mounted on the compensating arms and 13. The sliver 12 passes to a nozzle 20 forming part of the traversing mechanism and this nozzle applies false twist to the sliver as a result of rotary motion of the nozzle produced by engagement of a pinion 21 with a rack which is not seen in the drawing. A corresponding nozzle 20 for the other side of the machine is, however, shown and a rack 22 cooperating with a pinion 21' corresponding to the pinion 21 produces the necessary rotary motion. In this particular example the rack 22 is stationary so that all the false twist is derived from the traversing motion. The pinion 21 is mounted on the same shaft as a further pinion 23 and this in turn produces the rotary motion of the nozzle 20 by engagement with teeth 75 on the nozzle 20.

Both the nozzles 20 and 20 are mounted on a head 25 sliding on guide rods 26. The traversing motion is produced by a duplex driving chain 27 driven by corresponding pinions 28 on a vertical shaft 29. The chain carries a driving member 24 working in a transverse slot 30 in the head 25. While travelling in one direction the member 24 remains at the end of the slot 30 and drives the head 25 in this direction. While passing round the pinions at the end of the stroke the member 24 moves across the opposite end of the slot 3i) and then drives the head 25 back on the reverse stroke.

The sliver 12 emerges from the nozzle 20 with a degree of false twist and is there wound on to a rotary spindle 31 to form a ball shown in dotted lines as 32. This ball is driven by engagement with a driving roller 33 which in its turn is driven by a chain 38 passing round a chain wheel 39 on a shaft 34. This shaft 34- is driven through gearing (not shown) from the drawing frame supplying the sliver. The chain 38 also drives a shaft 37 which is connected to a further shaft 4t) by a combined clutch and brake unit 41 which is magnetically operated. This is supported from the frame of the machine (not shown in the drawing) by means of a .bracket 45 in which the shaft 40 is free to turn. The operating mechanism and the electric circuits to the unit 41 are not illustrated but the unit comprises an electromagnet which, when energised, opens the clutch to free the shaft 40 from 0 the shaft 37 and at the same time to brake the shaft 40. In this way the shaft 40 is stopped rapidly while the shaft 37 continues to turn.

The shaft 40 carries a bevel gear 46 meshing with a second bevel gear 47 on the vertical shaft 29, so that when the unit 41 is` operated the traversing movement of the mechanism 17, i.e. comprising the head 25 and the nozzle 20 is stopped. The stoppage of the traversing movement is brought about at a predetermined point in the traverse stroke by means of a switch 50. This is connected in conjunction with a second switch 51 forming part of a yardage counter in the operating circuit of the magnetic unit 41. This switch 51 is operated by the yardage counter when sufficient sliver has been delivered to give a full size ball 32. The switch 50 on the other hand is operated for each cycle of the traversing mechanism. During the buildup of the ball the operation of the switch 50 has no effect but when the switch 51 in the counter is also operated the unit 41 is energised to stop the` traversing movement as just described.

Theswitch S is operated by an arm 55 pivoted at 56 to the frame of the machine and extending alon-g the path of the traverse mechanism 17. The arm is normally held in the raised position shown in the drawing by means of a spring 57 and in this position is in contact with an abutment S; The arm 55 carries a wedge-shaped member 59 capable of longitudinal adjustment on the arm and cooperating with a trigger 60 pivoted to the traversing head 25. During movement of the head to the right as seen in the drawing the trigger 60 engages the sloping surface of the wedge 59 and depresses the arm 55 to operate the switch 50. During the return movement the trigger 69 engages the square edge of the member 59 and turns freely about its pivot so that the arm `55 is not depressed. In other wordsthe operation of the switch 50 occurs once in each complete cycle of traversing movement.

In addition to energising` the magnetic unit 41 as already described the simultaneous operation of the two switches 50 and 51 performs two further functions. The rst of these is to break the connection 70 connecting the main drive to the drawing-frame supplying the sliver 12. Due to the inertia of the moving parts, however, the `drawing fra-me does not stop immediately and sliver continues to be delivered for a short time while the driving roller 33 continues to turn to wind the sliver 12 on to the `ball 32. As already described, however, the stopping of the traversing movement is practically instantaneous and as a consequence no false twist is applied to the sliver. Accordingly the sliver wound on to the ball 32 during this period has no false twist and its tensile strength is correspondingly reduced. This enables the sliver to be broken much more easily for dofiing purposes and moreover since this last part of the sliver is always wound at a pre-determined point on the ball 32 (preferably in the centre as illustrated in the drawing) as determined by the position of the member 59 on the arm 55, the tucking in of the broken end of sliver is facilitated.

The third function of the two switches 56 and 51 is to control the initiation of automatic doing mechanism for the completed ball 32. The principles of automatic dofing are known in themselves and since details of the mechanism form no part of the present invention they will be described only briey. The operation of the two switches 50 and 51 starts an auxiliary motor 71, shown schematically in FIGURE 3, and the rst result of this is to move the completed ball 32 away from the driving roller 33. This brings the rotary spindle 31 between the arms of a doflng plate 60 which is move-d by a screwed shaft 61 driven from the auxiliary motor referred to above through a chain 65. This causes the plate 60 to move to the right as shown in the `drawing to doff the ball 32 from the spindle 31. When the plate 60 reaches the limit of its travel after doing the ball 32 it enga-ges a reversing switch (not shown) in the circuit of the auxiliary motor which causes the plate 60 to return to its initial position. During this return movement a pivoted trigger 62 engages a switch 63. The pivoting of the trigger 62 prevents it operating the switch during its outward movement, but during the return movement the switch is operated as just mentioned and has the effect of restarting overall operation once again. This may be done, for example, by operating relays and 81 to close switches 50 and 51. See FIGURE 3. In other words it starts up the drawing frame to resume delivery of sliver 12 for example, by engaging clutch 70, and also to drive both the driving roller 33 and also the shaft 37. At the same time the unit 41 is de-energised so that the clutch is engaged and the brake released and the shaft 40 begins to turn again to produce the traversing movement. In the meanwhile the spindle 31 has returned to a position adjacent the driving roller 33 and the buildup of a new ball 32 is started.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for winding balls of textile sliver comprising a rotary winding spindle for supporting a sliver ball, a nozzle for feeding sliver to said spindle, a traversing mechanism for traversing said nozzle in a direction parallel with the axis of said spindle, rotating means responsive atleast in part to traversing movement of said nozzle for rotating said nozzle whereby to apply false twist to said sliver, a driving roller for turning a ball of sliver supported by said spindle, means for driving said driving roller and stopping means for stopping the traversing mechanism shortly before said driving roller completes a ball.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said rotating means comprises a stationary rack, a pinion engaging said rack and mounted for traversing movement with said nozzle `and a driving connection between said pinion and said nozzle.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, inwhich said stopping means operates at a predetermined position in relation to the traversing movement.

4. Apparatus according to `claim 1 in which said traversing mechanism includes a driving connection and said stopping means for said traversing mechanism includes a clutch in said driving connection and a brake which stops said mechanism as soon as said clutch has opened.

5. Apparatus for winding balls of textile sliver comprising a rotary winding spindle for supporting a sliver ball, a nozzle for feeding sliver to said spindle, a traversing mechanism for traversing said nozzle in a direction parallel with the axis of said spindle, rotating means responsive at least in part to traversing movement of said nozzle for rotating said nozzle whereby to apply false twist to said sliver, a driving roller means for turning a ball of sliver supported by said spindle, means for driving said driving roller, a first electric switch, means for operating said first switchat a pre-determined point in each cycle of traverse, a second electric switch, means for operating said second switch when a ball of sliver is fully wound, and an electric circuit completed by closing said two switches to stop said traversing mechanism and to remove the drive from said driving roller.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, in which said first switch is controlled by a lever arm extending parallel with the direction of traversing and carrying a wedgeshaped projection cooperating with a trigger member carried by said traversing mechanism and which operates saidl arm once in each cycle of traversing movement.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5 including a dofng means for removing a wound yball of textile sliver, the operation of said doi-ling means being initiated by the closing of said two switches.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,797,393 3/1931 Abbott 242-544 2,674,013 4/ 1954 Place t 242--54-4 2,757,876 8/1956 Smith et al. 242-54.4

FRANK I COHEN, Primary Examiner.

W. S. BURDEN, Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR WINDING BALLS OF TEXTILE SILVER COMPRISING A ROTARY WINDING SPINDLE FOR SUPPORTING A SILVER BALL, A NOZZLE FOR FEEDING SILVER TO SAID SPINDLE, A TRAVERSING MECHANISM FOR TRAVERSING SAID NOZZLE IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL WITH THE AXIS OF SAID SPINDLE, ROTATING MEANS RESPONSIVE AT LEAST IN PART TO TRAVERSING MOVEMENT OF SAID NOZZLE FOR ROTATING SAID NOZZLE WHEREBY TO APPLY FALSE TWIST 